Battle For Light
by Childhood Aspirations
Summary: Aerith watched them, standing by herself off to the side. They all seemed so...content...together. And that left her...alone. Sephiroth x Aerith onesided ONESHOT, accompaniment to BATTLE SCARS and BATTLE FRENZY


**Battle For Light**

_By Childhood Aspirations_

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts II, or Final Fantasy, or any of the characters involved...

* * *

Aerith watched from a distance as the rest of the group spoke together in quiet voices. Nervous, weary smiles adorned more than one face. A sense of apprehensive euphoria had fallen most of them; Hollow Bastion had been saved, for the moment.

Leon and Yuffie were grinning at each other. Well, actually, it was more like Yuffie grinning at Leon and Leon pretending not to notice. The twitching of his lips belied his seeming ignorance. The black-haired ninja had recovered some of her buoyancy, as was evident when she proceeded to bounce around Leon in a hyperactive fashion.

The flower girl's calm gaze turned toward Cloud and Tifa. The spiky-haired blonde had actually put down his enormous sword; at the moment, his black-gloved arms crossed over his chest and a stoic expression on his face. His sharp blue eyes glittered as he stared down at the slender fighter in front of him. Tifa had her hands on her hips. Whatever it was that she wanted, she didn't seem inclined to give up on it anytime soon.

Aerith sighed. It wasn't exactly a sad sigh, necessarily. At least the four weren't fighting. As a matter a fact, in spite of the irritated fronts the two males were putting up, and the persistence of Tifa and Yuffie, Aerith could tell that something mysterious had passed between the…couples.

…For lack of a better term…

Or maybe it _was_ an appropriate term…

"Doesn't it warm the cockles of your heart?" said a mocking voice. Aerith turned slightly to eye the one who intruded on her thoughts.

"What are you doing here, Sephiroth?" she asked quietly.

"Damage control," was the enigmatic reply. Even as she watched, his eyes drifted in Cloud's direction. "Seems he's found himself a friend. I must admit, I'm surprised."

"Everyone deserves to have friends," Aerith said, her voice soft, yet firm. He gave her a condescending look.

"Not the man who hides from all light, and not just the light of other's. Cloud hides from his own light, Aerith. You know that as well as he does; you've seen proof. Sooner our later, Cloud's darkness will overwhelm him once again, alienating everyone he's grown close to." The twisted smile on the one-winged man's lips told her that he was looking forward to that happening.

A rare anger rose in Aerith. "You leave him alone!" she said in a surprisingly harsh whisper. "You leave all of them alone! Cloud doesn't listen to you anymore, and neither will I!"

"Oh, but he does listen to me, Aerith," Sephiroth mocked. "He won't admit it, but he does." She turned to alert the others to his presence, but he caught her arm and pulled her back toward him. "Doesn't it make you feel lonely, knowing that you're the only one who's alone?" His low voice whispered in her ear; she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

"I'm not alone," Aerith insisted, her voice thick.

"Oh?" He sounded amused. "Let's run down the list, shall we?" He motioned with his other hand to the four standing apart from them. "Yuffie and Leon. Cloud and Tifa. You're alone, Aerith, whether you'll admit it or not." He leaned closer. "Alone like me."

She jerked her arm from his grasp. "No, I'm nothing like you," Aerith said strongly, standing tall. "I have my friends. You have no one." She turned to walk away, but his voice stopped her.

"Aerith."

Aerith turned unwillingly to look at him. He walked slowly toward her, long silver hair swaying gently down his back. The tattered edges of his single black wing ruffled in the chilly breeze. His green eyes held her gaze.

She shivered.

"Everyone has darkness within them. Give in to yours; give in to the loneliness. Abandon them." He paused, and Aerith waited, unaware that she was holding her breath. Sephiroth reached out, and his gloved hand grazed her cheek. "We'll leave them behind," he whispered.

Aerith shook her head in disbelief. "You could never stop haunting Cloud. You can never leave him behind. Even if you could, I would never abandon my friends: not for you, not for anyone else."

"Why ever not?" he inquired, his tone icy as he took a step back and regarded her coldly.

She contemplated this. "Because they _are_ my friends," she said finally, simply.

Nothing more really needed to be said.

Sephiroth studied her for a moment and then turned without a word and walked away. Aerith watched him until he vanished into thin air.

"Aerith?"

She looked behind her and found them all standing there. It was Yuffie who had spoken, mild concern on her face, though her lips still tugged upward in some semblance of a grin. Leon stood behind the diminutive ninja; Cloud and Tifa were behind them.

Aerith regarded all of them, clasping her hands behind her back and tipping her head to one side. A gentle smile bloomed on her lips. "Let's go home," she said softly.

Leon smiled faintly and Yuffie gave a triumphant cheer. "Let's!" the younger girl said excitedly, no doubt anxious to resume work on restoring Hollow Bastion. Tifa, still bearing her hands on her hips, glanced up at Cloud and nudged him with one elbow, one dark eyebrow raised.

He grunted. They usually took that to signify agreement.

The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee departed from the valley and returned to their home, leaving behind the sight of a great battle. The enemy was vanquished.

Sephiroth watched the little group's departure from high above. His eyes glittered down at them.

"None of you can slip away so easily from me," he whispered to nothing. "Where darkness is, there am I."

But he could find no chink in their armor for the moment, no place to invade. With a grimace of frustration, he vanished, leaving the five friends to their happiness, their home, and their light.

For the moment.

* * *

_(A/N- Well, I believe this is my last installment of my little Hollow Bastion post-huge battle series. I've pretty much covered all the characters who were present at the time. Anyway, once more I apologize for any weirdness in the characters, especially Sephiroth, since I don't really know how he acts. Hope you enjoyed it anyway! -C.A.) _


End file.
